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Robert Durst

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Robert Alan Durst (born April 12, 1943)[1] is a son of New York real estate mogul Seymour Durst, and brother of commercial developer Douglas Durst. He came to media attention in the 1980s when his wife disappeared, and again in the early 2000s when he was the subject of a multi-state manhunt and acquitted of murder.

In early 2015, a six-part HBO documentary titled The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst unearthed new circumstantial evidence linking Durst to the 2000 slaying in Los Angeles of aspiring writer Susan Berman, Durst's friend, who was believed to have knowledge of Durst's wife's mysterious 1982 disappearance.[2] The documentary detailed the disappearance of Durst's first wife Kathleen in 1982 in New York, the death of his friend Susan Berman in 2000 in Los Angeles, California, and the killing of his neighbor Morris Black in 2001 in Galveston, Texas.

On March 14, 2015, Durst was re-arrested in New Orleans on a first degree murder warrant issued out of Los Angeles. Chip Lewis, a lawyer for Durst, said his client will not fight extradition to California.[3]

Early life and education

One of four children, Durst grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He is the son of real estate investor Seymour Durst and his wife Bernice Herstein. His siblings are Douglas, Thomas and Wendy. Durst's paternal grandfather, Joseph Durst, a penniless Jewish immigrant tailor from Austria-Hungary, eventually became a very successful real estate manager and developer, founding the Durst Organization in 1927. His father, Seymour, became head of the family business in 1974 upon Joseph's death.[4] At the age of seven, Durst reportedly witnessed his mother's apparent suicide; she either fell or jumped from the roof of the family's mansion. Durst, in the HBO documentary, denies this.[5] As children, Durst and his brother Douglas underwent counseling for sibling rivalry.[6] He attended Scarsdale High School where classmates described him as a loner.[7]

He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics in 1965 from Lehigh University where he was a member of the varsity lacrosse team and the business manager of The Brown and White student newspaper.[8][9] He enrolled in a doctoral program at UCLA later that year, but eventually withdrew from the school and returned to New York in 1969.[7][10] Durst went on to become a real estate developer in his father's business; however, it was his brother Douglas who was later appointed to run the family business. The appointment in the 1990s caused a rift between Robert and his family, and he became estranged from them.[11]

Kathleen McCormack disappearance

In 1973, Durst married Kathleen "Kathie" McCormack, a dental hygienist. They moved to Vermont where they opened a health food store. However, Durst's father Seymour pressured him to move back to New York to work in the family real estate business.[12] Kathleen disappeared in 1982. Durst was dating Prudence Farrow when his wife disappeared.[13] Her disappearance remained an unsolved case for 18 years when New York State Police re-opened the criminal investigation. On December 24, 2000, Durst's long-time friend, Susan Berman, who was believed to have knowledge of McCormack's disappearance, was found murdered execution-style in her Benedict Canyon house in California. Durst was questioned in both cases but not charged.[11] According to prosecutors, Durst moved to Texas in 2000 and began cross-dressing to divert attention from the disappearance of McCormack.[14]

Morris Black death

In 2001, Durst was arrested in Galveston, Texas, shortly after body parts of his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, were found floating in Galveston Bay, but was released on bail. Durst missed his court hearing and was declared the first billion-dollar fugitive in the US. On November 30, 2001 he was caught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a Wegmans Supermarket, after trying to shoplift a chicken sandwich, Band-Aids, and a newspaper, even though he had $500 cash in his pocket.[15] A police search of his rented car yielded $37,000 in cash, two guns, marijuana and Black's driver's license.[16]

Trial

In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder of Morris Black. He hired defense attorney Dick DeGuerin and claimed self-defense. During cross-examination, Durst admitted to using a paring knife, two saws and an axe to dismember Black's body before dumping his remains in Galveston Bay.[17] He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which the defense argued explained his behavior.[18] The jury acquitted him of murder.[19]

In 2004, Durst pleaded guilty to two counts of bond jumping and one count of evidence tampering. As part of a plea bargain, he received a sentence of five years and was given credit for time served, requiring him to serve about three years in prison.[20]

Durst was paroled in 2005. The rules of his release required him to stay near his home; permission was required to travel.

In December 2005, Durst made an unauthorized trip to the boarding house where Black had been killed and to a nearby shopping mall. At the mall, he ran into the presiding judge from his murder trial, Susan Criss. Due to this incident, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles determined that Durst had violated the terms of his parole, and he was returned to jail.[21] He was released again from custody on March 1, 2006.[22]

In 2012 and 2013, his family members had restraining orders taken out against him, claiming they were afraid of him. Durst was charged with trespassing in New York for walking in front of townhouses owned by his brother Douglas and other family members. He went on trial and was acquitted in December 2014. The judge also vacated the 13 orders of protection his family members had taken out on him.[23]

In July 2014, Durst was arrested after turning himself in to police following an incident at a Houston CVS drugstore in which he allegedly exposed himself without provocation and urinated on a rack of candy. He then left the store and casually walked down the street. Durst was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief.[24][25] In December 2014, he pled "no contest" and was fined $500. His lawyer described the incident as an "unfortunate medical mishap".[26][27]

Susan Berman death

Durst was arrested in March 2015 in Louisiana on an accusation of first degree murder out of Los Angeles County, California.[2][28]

Personal life

In 2011, it was reported that Durst had purchased a townhouse in Harlem, and his family confirmed that he was living there at least some of the time.[29]

References

  1. ^ Collins, Marion (November 18, 2002). Without a Trace. New York: McMillan. ISBN 0312985029.
  2. ^ a b Richard Winton, Matt Hamilton and Shelby Grad (March 15, 2015). "Robert Durst arrested in slaying of L.A. writer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Real estate heir Robert Durst arrested in New Orleans on murder charges, attorney says". Fox News. March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Wall Street Journal: "Taking the Helm to Change City Landscape" by Dana Rubinstein December 10, 2011
  5. ^ Jonathan Bandler (February 7, 2015). "Robert Durst admits lying about wife's disappearance on HBO". The Journal News. Retrieved March 15, 2015. Robert Durst addresses her 1950 suicide at the family's home in Scarsdale when he was 7. Durst claims his father, Seymour, walked him over to a hall window and showed him Bernice Durst standing on the roof. "I waved at Mommy. I don't know if she saw me," he said. "It never went through my mind that, 'What is she doing on the roof in her nightie?' " He didn't see her fall but said he heard the maid shouting, " 'She's off the roof.' " "I never forgot it," he said. "It never left me." {{cite news}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 207 (help)
  6. ^ Charles V. Bagli and Kevin Flynn (October 21, 2001). "A Two-Decade Spiral Into Suspicion; Long After Wife Disappears, Heir Vanishes After Texas Murder". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015. In any event, Robert's childhood battles with Douglas prompted their father to send both boys to a counselor.
  7. ^ a b Bagli, Charles V.; Flynn, Kevin (October 21, 2001). "A Two-Decade Spiral Into Suspicion; Long After Wife Disappears, Heir Vanishes After Texas Murder". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Freeman, Sarah (January 28, 2011). "Alum's Deadly Decisions: The killer story that inspired the new movie, 'All Good Things'". The Brown and White. Lehigh University.
  9. ^ Charles V. Bagli and Susan Saulny (December 2, 2001). "Millionaire Fugitive Has Been Caught, but Mysteries Remain". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015. He had spent four years at Lehigh University, graduating in 1965.
  10. ^ Cartwright, Gary (February 2002). "Durst Case Scenarios". Texas Monthly.
  11. ^ a b Bruno, Anthony. "All about millionaire murderer Robert Durst". truTV. Retrieved 2010-01-23.[dead link‍]
  12. ^ Charles V. Bagli and Kevin Flynn (November 24, 2010). "That's Me on Screen, but I Still Didn't Do It". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  13. ^ Charles V. Bagli and Kevin Flynn (October 21, 2001). "A Two-Decade Spiral Into Suspicion; Long After Wife Disappears, Heir Vanishes After Texas Murder". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015. More than a decade later, Mr. Durst was dating Prudence Farrow, the subject of the Beatles song Dear Prudence, when his wife disappeared.
  14. ^ Rosenberg, Rebecca; Greene, Leonard (October 24, 2011). "Cross-dressing 'murderer' Robert Durst moves into Harlem townhouse". New York Post.
  15. ^ Todt, Ron (December 1, 2001). "Fugitive heir Robert Durst arrested in Pennsylvania". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Spartanburg, South Carolina.
  16. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (January 26, 2002). "Durst Waives Extradition To Texas Trial In Murder". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  17. ^ Springer, John. "Prosecution forces Durst to admit his many lies". truTV. Retrieved 2009-04-02.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ Leung, Rebecca. "The Mystery of Robert Durst". CBS News. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
  19. ^ John Springer. "Millionaire Durst acquitted of neighbor's murder". truTV. Retrieved 2009-04-02.[dead link‍]
  20. ^ Su, Jessica. "Millionaire Robert Durst pleads guilty to bail jumping, evidence tampering". Court TV. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Abrams, Dan. "Billionaire Robert Durst back in jail". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  22. ^ Moran, Kevin (March 1, 2006). "Millionaire Durst allowed back to Houston home". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  23. ^ Charles V. Bagli (December 11, 2014). "Robert Durst, Troubled Scion of Real Estate Family, Is Acquitted of Trespassing". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  24. ^ Rice, Harvey (July 22, 2014). "Durst accused of urinating on candy at CVS". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-07-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Diebel, Matthew (July 24, 2014). "Robert Durst: From riches to allegedly peeing on candy". USA Today. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  26. ^ Brian Rogers (December 16, 2014). "Durst pleads 'no contest' in CVS urination incident". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  27. ^ "Robert Durst fined $500 after urinating on candy at CVS". KHOU. December 16, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  28. ^ Ashley Southall (March 15, 2015). "Robert Durst, Subject of HBO Documentary on Unsolved Killings, Is Arrested". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  29. ^ Reilly, Richard Byrne (February 4, 2011). "Cross-Dressing Convict Robert Durst Returns to New York". New York.
  30. ^ Rubinstein, Dana (August 8, 2008). "Ryan Gosling Is Robert Durst". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2008-08-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Jones, Leigh (August 22, 2008). "Movie based on Durst's wife's disappearance". The Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Bagli, Charles. "Stranger Than Fiction? Try Fact: HBO Plans a Documentary on Robert Durst". The New York Times (December 1, 2014)

Further reading

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